Time to Reconnect
by Plumei
Summary: At Xemnas' suggestion, Zexion goes back to spend some much needed time with Ienzo's family. Although it may be awkward, getting back in the loop might not be so bad. Comedy Fic.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Sad, sad. sad...but so totally true.

Note: The author is too totally mortified by the shortness of this opening that she has nothing to say. Except, maybe, that this only an opening and not (technically) a chapter.

* * *

"NOOOO! You've got to be kidding me! I can't...just...ergh, no! No, no, no!"

Xemnas sighed. "Listen, I thought you'd be happy about this. I only did it to make you feel better since you've been so depressing lately. Really, honestly, I don't mean to make you angry or anything...but I think you should go."

"I can't go!" Zexion howled, burying his face into his hands. "I have nothing in common with them anymore! It'll be awkward! You can't make me go."

"Oh yes I can." The Superior announced. "You really ought to see your face. It's hilarious."

"There's absolutely nothing funny about this." Zexion snorted, rising out of his chair. "I refuse to go."

"That's just too bad, because you're going whether you want to or not. I pulled some strings...it was difficult! You could at least humor me and give it a try."

"Absolutely not." Zexion said, folding his arms across his chest. "You couldn't pay me."

"I couldn't?" Xemnas looked down for a moment, rummaging through his desk drawer. After a moment, he sat back in his chair, placing ten thousand munny on his desk. "How is this for you?"

Zexion twitched. So tempting.

"Of course, I can't force you to take it if you really don't want to go. But, if you don't go, there will be _punishments_."

"_Punishments_?"

"Yes, number VI. No ice cream."

"You wouldn't."

"No instant messaging."

"Noooo..."

"No books for a month!"

"No! No! Please, no!"

"Then go." Xemnas said, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

Zexion considered, tilting his head to the side. "Does the offer still stand?"

"Yes."

"Fine, then, I'll accept...but I'm only doing it for the money. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't go."

Xemnas sighed, sliding the munny across the table. "Okay, but I think you should try to enjoy yourself. You're still family in one way or another, and I think you'll find that they're much more interesting than you think."

"Whatever. I'm going to go pack." The Schemer said, snatching the munny and heading for the door. "And keep your sissy little pep talks. They're getting old."

* * *

And the horror begins!

Reviews?


	2. Welcome Home, Idiot

Wow, I'm so happy that you guys seem to enjoy this story so much from just reading the Prologue! However, I'm pleased to present to you the first real chapter of Time to Reconnect: Welcome Home, Idiot! Please enjoy, and comment, PM, or email me with any suggestions or concerns you may have with this story! Thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Zexion, Demyx, or Radiant Garden. I do, however, own Carmen, Stella, Scopra, Celestina, and Alphonso. They're MINE! So back off...and ask if you want to steal them. T.T

* * *

"Wow, I'm _so_ glad that you decided to take me along. I mean...ah! It's going to be so much fun. You and me, me and you, Radiant Garden! It's gonna be so awesome! And _no missions_! It's just like a vacation, only you really didn't get to choose where you were going!" Demyx squealed, his hands clenched around a bag of gummy worms.

Zexion was seated next to him in the window seat of the Passenger Gummi, his head resting against the cold glass of the window.. So far, everything had been going _worse _than he had expected, if that was even humanly possible. Or, like, Nobody-ishly possible. But whatever. Who said we had to get technical about this?

"I didn't invite you to come, genius. In fact, you wouldn't be here if you hadn't surgically attatched yourself to my arm." Figuratively, of course, but Zexion was not about to admit that...especially not in public.

"Whatever." The blond said, shrugging.

The entire trip had passed in a similar fashion: Demyx would attempt to start up a boring and completely pointless one-sided conversation, and Zexion would dismiss it quickly. Demyx would continue again a few minutes later.

While Zexion tried to drink in the next few moments of blissful silence, Demyx began wondering just what they were going to do when they got to Radiant Garden. What was their excuse going to be for staying in this family's house? Surely their leader hadn't opened up about them being...you know...not human...

"Hey Zex..."

"Hey Retard, I thought I told you to stop calling me that." Zexion snapped irritably, thoroughly ticked-off that his silence had been short-lived.

Demyx ignored him, of course. He wasn't the type to care about stuff like that, let alone notice.

"I was wondering...what did Xemnas say to your family about us coming to stay?"

"_The Superior_," Zexion corrected, "Told them that we would tutoring the twins. They're giving us rooms and a monthly allowance, as well as a couple days off each month. All in all, it's not a bad deal...they're giving us a pretty loose leash."

Demyx raised his eyebrows. "Twins?"

"Twin girls...they're eleven. Don't get your hopes up."

"Damnit. And here I was, hoping for summer love..."

"Not with my sisters, you don't..." Zexion grumbled, covering his face with his hand. It was a good attempt at hiding the fact that his eyes were doing some serious twitching. "Dude, that's just so wrong..."

"I'm just kidding..."

"Ugh, man...I thought we'd already been through with this! You're a Nobody! You don't have any emotions, dufus!"

"Kidding...Kid. Ing. Do you know what that means? It means that I'm just joking around with you."

"I know what it means, Demyx. I'm just saying that you need to calm down. You're acting very odd...and if you forget, that's the exact opposite of what we're trying to do here."

"Right." Demyx said enthusiastically, digging his gloved hands into the bag to pull out several sugar-coating candy bugs.

It was then that the Gummi came to a gentle stop, bumping lightly against the padded sides of the loading docks. Zexion rose to his feet, motioning for Demyx to assist him in grabbing the bags they had stored in the overhead compartment.

"So, anyway..." Demyx mumbled as they stepped out onto the platform. "What are their names?"

"Celestina and Scopra are the twins. Celestina goes by Celeste, sometimes. Alphonso is the oldest, and a lawyer. Stella and Carmen are the parents, and both work downtown in the bank as accountants."

"I see..."

"...So they're very busy. Alphonso will be studying for his test in order to pass the Bar, and the younger two will need to be tutored in the Fine Arts and Mathematics."

Demyx nodded, setting his bag down for a moment to get a better grip. "Okay then. Let's go."

* * *

The family house was high on one of the local hills, surrounded by grass and large trees, as well as a small flower and vegetable garden that circled the house. The sidewalk took a meandering course across the grass, eventually delivering the two exhausted Nobodies to the small brick building.

The door swung open almost automatically, and two young girls sprang out from behind it. Zexion and Demyx to an automatic step backwards.

The tallest of the girls was dark-haired and dark-eyed, and she stood directly in front of them, arms crossed over a black and white checkered shirt. She stared at them both, almost glaring, but completely calm at the same time.

The shorter of the two had light brown hair and blue eyes, which she paired with a rather large amount of hot pink makeup and sequins on her white dress.

"Ha!" The short one announced. "You two look funny!"

Zexion sighed, setting his bags down on the front step. "Demyx, this one right here is Scopra...and that midget over there is Celestina."

"Omigosh!" Celestina wailed. "Scopi, he knows our names! We have to tell Mama! MAMAAAA!"

"That's because he's our tutor, you idiot." Scopra said, her voice staying flat through the entire sentence. "And it looks like they'll have their hands full with you. I pity you two."

"Uh..."

"Oh, so _that's _why they look so weird! They're from out of town! That makes some sense."

"Some." Scopra agreed. "So you must be..."

"Uh...Demyx and Zexion, from Heart Laboratories! We're here to be your tutors, young ladies!" Zexion said, struggling to do a very fake smile. Celestina flinched.

"I'm his boss." Demyx announced.

"WHAT?!"

"You see, I get to yell at him when he makes dumb mistakes in the laboratory...when he mixes dangerous chemicals and drinks them. Stuff like that."

"Does he make those mistakes a lot?" Scopra asked.

"Oh, all the time! That's Zexion for you: the total klutz!"

I, the author, would be happy to place some comments from Zexion here. Unfortunately, he was too mortified by Demyx's words to say anything. Therefore, I find it safe to say that this would be an inner "WTF?" moment.

"In that case, Mr. Demyx, I'd like _you_ to be my tutor, since you're so much smarter than him! Pretty please, sir?"

"Of course, young lady! I'd be delighted to! Do you happen to play any musical instruments?"

"Yes, I play the guitar!"

"Excellent, Ms. Celeste! Let's go inside and take a look at it, shall we?"

Demyx picked up his bags and gave Zexion a quick smile before vanishing into the house with Celeste, leaving the Schemer and the creepy little freak outside.

"...You remind me of somebody." Scopra announced, turning around. "Your bedroom is upstairs , second door on the right. Don't get lost, idiot boy."

Zexion sighed and watched as she left him on the front step with both of his bags. _I'm going to _kill_ Xemnas when I get back._ He decided mentally. _And I want my Messenger._

* * *

I luff you guys and your wonderful support! If there's anything I can do with this story to improve it or make it funnier for you, please let me know! I'm here to please! 


	3. Dinner Disaster

Sorry about the long wait! Here's the second chapter of Time to Reconnect: Dinner Disaster! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Kingdom Hearts and all of its characters are properties of Square Enix and Disney. Alphonso, Scopra, Celeste, Carmen, and Stella are all property of _moi._

* * *

"They're so nice! Such sweet little kids!" Demyx commented as he sat on the end of his bed, tugging off his rather stubborn pair of boots. His blond hair was pressed against his face with sweat from running around, and his face was flushed, but he seemed not to notice it. If Nobodies could feel joy, he was feeling it now. Zexion, on the other hand, was pretty sure that it was just some sort of chemical in his brain from running around too much.

Zexion watched him from his own bed, not grumpy but not very pleased, either. He held a copy of paperback novel that he'd "borrowed" from the downstairs bookshelf, but he hadn't really been reading it. Reading and waiting for Demyx to shut up were two totally different things. Reading would come sometime after Armageddon, and that was more than likely going to occur some time before Demyx learned that nobody cared.

"I mean, if I could have kids, I'd hope that they were exactly like your sisters. They're just the sweetest, the cutest..." He continued, succeeding in removing the shoes and flopping back onto the mattress with a blissful sigh.

"Not so loud, Demyx." Zexion reminded him. "We can't have them knowing."

"Knowing...what?" The nocturne rested his chin on his arm, one bright blue eye visible from behind a mess of matted blond hair.

"That Ienzo isn't dead, buried like a good little dead boy should be. They can't know that what's left of him is living under their own roof, teaching their children. That would be...disastrous."

Demyx shuddered at the mention of _what's left of him._ They were no longer fully human, certainly, but it hurt to hear his comrade say something that made them sound like the tatters of a once-fine piece of fabric. The Organization lived like they were real...or at least, they tried to. Didn't Zexion realize that? Or was he trying to prove to himself that he was no longer whole?

"I know that, but I don't think I understand _why_ they can't know. I mean, they've never known the truth about their son. Shouldn't they at least know that they'll never find him, and that they should give up looking for him? They're wasting their precious money searching, looking for a part of _you_ that they're never going to see again...they're tearing their family apart at the seams...and yet you want to keep them hoping?"

"How did you know that they were searching?!...Who told you?" Zexion asked, eyes snapping up from his book with a sudden rush of what could have been anger if he could feel it at all.

"...Xemnas." Demyx answered with equal ferocity. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is that you explain to me why you would want to watch your own family suffer. You may not have a heart; But damn you, Zexion, at least have some empathy for these people. _They created you._"

"They didn't create me, the Heartless did!" Zexion spat. "The Darkness did..."

"No, that's not what I mean. They didn't create what you are on the inside. That may have changed, but they gave you the body you're in right now, didn't they? Didn't those little girls down there love you at one point or another? Can't you remember a Christmas, a birthday, anything?"

Zexion shrugged. "What does it matter?"

"Everything." Demyx said firmly. "It means everything. Family is everything...at least the Superior went through the trouble of finding your family...at least you remember something about them. He would never do something like that for a Neophyte."

"What, you don't remember your family?"

"No..." Demyx said, his voice practically a whisper.

"Friends, a city, anything? Anything at all?"

"Nothing...but a name. I do remember a name."

Zexion gave him a questioning look, placing the book down his mattress. "A name?"

"A name, yeah. I don't remember whose it was, though. It could have been a family member, a loved one, something...even my own name, maybe. All I know is that it was the first thing to come to my lips after my creation. It practically bubbled out - I couldn't think of anything else to say."

"What was it?"

"It was..." He paused, as if its mention deserved some extra credit. "...Myde."

"So that's where Demyx came from...I always wondered."

"Yeah, I figure it's the same way for all of the Neophytes. Since we didn't have a bunch of others to help us remember what our names were, the first thing to come to mind is our name...with an X added, of course."

"That would make sense, I guess. For Axel."

"Huh?"

"Well, if we followed your hypothesis, Axel's first thought would more than likely have been 'Ale.'"

The two Nobodies laughed, the sound bubbling up from deep within them, like a fountain that had been stuck for years but had started up again. It felt good to laugh, human...something neither had truly felt in a long time.

And then, of course, their fun was interrupted when someone knocked on the door. They stopped laughing abruptly and turned toward the sound, expectant.

"Yes?" Zexion called, his voice pleasant. He was amused with the thought of laughing again, and his response was almost as human as his laugh had been.

"Dinner's ready downstairs." Celeste's girlish voice announced from outside the door. Zexion figured someone had told her not to open her teacher's door without their direct permission. He mentally thanked whoever had done so.

"Okay, thanks!" Demyx called, just before they heard the soft patter of her feet as she padded away down the hallway.

"Dinner?" Zexion asked, raising an eyebrow at his comrade. "I don't recall eating many dinners while I lived here."

Demyx shrugged. "Well, I guess that was because you spent so much time with Ansem. You lived with him, didn't you?"

"For a while, yeah." Zexion said simply.

"Yeah, well, I guess we're expected to eat dinner with them since we're the girls' tutors. I really wasn't expecting that, but I guess it was nice of them. I bet it'll be fun, too. Much more fun than group meals with the Organization."

The entire family was clustered around a large table in the downstairs dining room, sitting gracefully in soft, high-backed chairs that reminded Zexion of miniature thrones. Carmen and Stella were seated at the opposite heads of the table, with Celeste and Scopra on one side and Alphonso on the other. There were two extra chairs pulled up to Alphonso's side, which were the chairs that Demyx and Zexion headed for upon entering the elegant room. Zexion shivered uncomfortably as Stella's eyes slid right past him, almost as if she couldn't see him at all. Demyx seemed not to notice.

"This is a time of celebration, children." Carmen announced quietly, eyes fixed on the empty plate before him. "A time of great joy. We have once again welcomed educated men of science into our humble home, and they are to be treated as family. And while the loss of our last intellectual still lies fresh, I hope that these newcomers will help to heal our unseen wounds. I hope that their influence and guidance will help our beautiful daughters mature into brilliant, wonderful young women, and that through their time with us, they will teach us new lessons in how to live...just as our ancestors hoped all visitors to the family would."

"Enrich our lives." Stella added, hands clasped together. "And lead us all into illumination from the sadness that has held us for so long."

Alphonso, Scopra, and Celestina nodded their heads in agreement, their eyes closed reverently, before reaching out to grab whatever suited their fancy off the table. Zexion and Demyx held back, more confused than they were hungry.

As soon as the rush settled down, Demyx looked towards Stella's tanned face, his blue eyes wide and inquisitive. "Ma'am, you mentioned another 'intellectual.' If it's not too rude of me to pry, who were you talking about?"

All other conversation at the large dinner table ceased as everyone turned to stare at Demyx and Stella, who had finally looked him square in the eye.

"We had another before you, one that was very dear to us. He never formally taught our children, and he was hardly ever around the family, but he was our source of pride. He gave us a higher rank among the townspeople, got us help when our family was in trouble...and yet, one day, something happened."

Demyx raised an eyebrow, already knowing the answer. He wasn't trying to get her to admit it, really, he just wanted to show Zexion just how this family remembered his Somebody. In addition to that, he couldn't help but be curious about the life and relationships of a Somebody...something that he found he couldn't remember, no matter how hard he tried.

Seeing Demyx's look, Stella continued, "He was our son, Ienzo. Handsome, intelligent, respectful, he was everything a family could have wanted. But sadly, we weren't the only ones that wanted him. After a while, his natural brilliance earned the attention of some of the highest scholars around, and word of his ability reached Lord Ansem, a powerful man that once ruled Radiant Garden. Ansem had a group of young geniuses that worked for him as apprentices of science, assisting him in his mysterious studies. Their work was never shared among the people or among other scientists...it was safely guarded, always. They trusted very few...so naturally, it was a great honor to have someone that was invited to work on that elite team."

"That's wonderful."

"Yes, it was. But our blessing was also our curse: Ienzo was taken away from us, to live at the castle and work with Ansem and five other apprentices: Xehanort, Even, Elaeus, Braig, and Dilan. He was so young then...but we watched him grow up from afar. We never saw him apart from audiences with Lord Ansem or parades, but we knew he still remembered about us and cared for us. You see, when things were starting to look down for us, we'd receive "official help" from whoever he could send, trying to make life better for us. I suppose it was his way of paying us back for letting him go. But no matter what he did, we never knew whether or not he had really wanted to go to work with Ansem. Either way, it was our decision to let him study with Ansem that led to his downfall."

Scopra stirred uncomfortably in her seat, folding and unfolding her hands in her lap.

"We stopped hearing about Ansem and his apprentices for a while. Everyone did...no one in Radiant Garden knew what had happened to them. It turned out that while we had been getting no news of our leader, there had been an investigation going on in the castle. It turns out that one night, without any warning, they all disappeared. The laboratory was in ruins...their were dark, dark things in there, things that made us doubt the very sanity of our beloved leader. They found written reports, logs, diaries, written by all of the apprentices and even Ansem himself, which gave evidence to horrible experiments done on the heart. On humans. And no, boys, I don't mean your physical hearts...I mean the part of you that lets you feel emotion, feel the things that make you human in the first place."

"We learned of the Heartless from those logs, as well as the Nobodies, and of Kingdom Hearts. We learned of the strange ways of the apprentice named Xehanort, who seemed to be becoming more and more arrogant with every passing day. We learned that he wanted to take control of all the worlds for himself...and we also learned that he offered himself up for an experiment in their tests. They all did, actually, but it happened over time. Then, of course, they vanished...not long after Ienzo, the youngest, had offered himself up for testing as well."

Zexion chewed his fingernail nervously, cobalt-colored eyes fixed on Stella's green ones. "So, what do you think happened to him?"

"Well, there are two possibilities. One of which is that he became a Nobody, and the other is that he managed to survive and left this world in shame. His knowledge of the other worlds would be immense after all of his studies, so it wouldn't surprise me if he left."

"Do you think he would have just traveled by himself?"

Scopra slammed her fork down on the top of the table. "Of course he would have! Why wouldn't he? Just because he lost his heart...just because he isn't human...don't you think he has every right to company? _He's my brother!"_

"I didn't say that he didn't have the right...I was just asking if-"

"Shut up!" She snarled, dark eyes flashing. "Just shut up. I don't want to hear anything else about him...especially not from _you. _You're just like him!"

The family watched as the dark haired girl got up and left the room, slamming the door with a bang. It was quite obvious that any attempts at winning Scopra over would take some serious work.

* * *

Questions? Comments? Concerns? 


	4. Stories and Investigations

Sorry it's been so long! I'm returning here with another installment of Demyx and Zexion's awkward adventures! I hope you enjoy it. Love ya people. ^^

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts = Not mine. Yeah.

* * *

After dinner, Zexion returned to his room, ignoring all of Demyx's inquiries into how he was feeling. His thoughts were grim. He had not come to Radiant Garden thinking that his family had continued their lives exactly as they had before his accident, but he still couldn't help but be troubled by the obvious pain that they all still felt.

Scopra was the most troubling of them all. She had been young when he had last lived with her, but they had been close-- he could still remember all of the games they had played out on the Bastion, and the long hours they had spent in the family library, studying whatever subject they fancied. Those had been the best years of Ienzo's- or Zexion's- life, and yet he had been so eager to give it up. Why? For the fame? The knowledge? Whatever the reason, it seemed stupid now.

He rolled over until his face was hidden inside the soft fluff of his pillow. He didn't want Demyx to see the pain that he knew must be evident on his face. It was too embarassing.

Demyx, always the sensitive one, noticed anyway. He had been absent-mindedly picking at his sitar, but he pulled the strap from around his neck and put the instrument behind him. "What's wrong, Zex?"

"Don't call me Zex." Zexion grumbled, his words sounding strangely muted from behind the pillow.

The Nocturne nodded, but continued to look at his companion's back until Zexion rolled over and sat up, fixing an annoyed gaze on Demyx.

"You really want to know what's wrong?" Zexion asked. His voice was tense with something-- not emotion, but as close to it as he could get.

Demyx didn't hesitate. "I asked, didn't I?"

"Yes, well," Zexion sighed audibly and looked at his hands. "The story they told at dinner was not completely truthful. I could not see my family often, but I was able to slip away sometimes and come to visit. It was usually awkward, because my work consumed so much of my time that it was my only real topic of conversation, but I was not allowed to speak of our research with anyone outside of the team. Scopra was the only one who didn't seem to mind. She and I would often go for walks around the city together, and I would show her all of the pretty places I knew. And I knew a lot of wonderful places, too-- I was the youngest of the apprentices, but my older companions often told me of the places they took their dates."

He tucked a piece of cobalt-blue hair between his ears, and for a moment Demyx could see the young, handsome Ienzo, a young man entirely too dedicated to science. The effect was oddly pleasing to Demyx, and he smiled.

"You shouldn't smile. You're lying to yourself." Zexion said quietly.

Demyx ignored him, so Zexion continued.

"There was one afternoon when I was about seventeen, and the rules at the castle were beginning to bother me. I snuck out and came here, where I convinced Scopra to come with me to the outer walls of the Bastion. I talked to her as we walked, for once, and I broke the oath I had taken to my team not to discuss our research. I told her everything-- the true nature of our work, Xehanort's obsession with 'knowing' everything, how my comerades, usually sensible men, were becoming slaves to the cause. I told her how I was the very last of the men to refuse to become a test subject. I told her how afraid I was, and how much pressure I was up against every second I was away from Ansem protection. I even admitted to her that I was considering running away to another one of the many worlds I knew, even though it would mean living in hiding and never seeing my family again."

"We sat out on the stone for hours. She spoke little, as always, but she seemed to understand my fear and unhappiness. Sure, I was practically this world's version of a prince, but it came at a huge price. Perhaps I was just never supportive enough of our research. Perhaps I didn't have what it took to serve Ansem. I didn't know, nor did I care too much. It was the morality of everything that perplexed me so."

"When I had finished talking, night had already fallen. I knew I was going to be punished when I returned to the castle, but I was not concerned. We were readying to return home when Scopra asked me to make her a promise."

"What, to tell her about your first kiss? To be her beatest friend for ever and ever?" Demyx chuckled.

"Cute. No, she made me promise her that I would follow my heart." Zexion nearly spat the words out. He shook his head when he was done.

"I don't think I understand." Demyx admitted sheepishly.

"That's because I'm not done yet. That night, Demyx, I returned to the castle to find that Ansem had gone out to look for me. He was just playing the role of the concerned father, but in doing so, he had left me with the others, who were possessed with finding a way to harness the energy of the heart. They were angry with me for abandoning them, so they dragged me down to the lab and insisted that I try a drug they had invented to amplify a heart's power in preparation of being harnessed. They held me down and injected me with the drug."

"It was like everything was on fire-- I was screaming, but I could hear no sound...my chest ached, and it was as if every feeling I had was magnified a thousand times and was trying to escape my brain. I was in pure and unending pain. At last it stopped, and...nothing. You know the rest."

Demyx was quiet for several long moments. At last, he said, "That's your story. We all have one like it. So why do you let it bother you?"

"Because," Zexion said, "I made that promise to my sister, but I broke it the same night. I didn't follow my heart...it was taken from me instead."

"But even if you don't have a heart, you still try to find a way to get one. That's following a heart, even if it's not necessarily yours."

Zexion shrugged as he considered. It made sense...he guessed. But as he mulled over Demyx's words, some movement outside the window caught his eye.

"What the hell?"

Demyx pushed himself up off his bed and joined Zexion at the window. Standing in the front yard were two men who were dressed in nice-looking suits. They looked strangely out of place in the vibrantly-colored yard, especially with the energetic Celestina standing with them.

"What's Celeste doing with them?" Demyx wondered aloud.

Zexion shrugged. "I'm not sure. Let's go find out, shall we?"

----------------------------

When the two Nobodies arrived downstairs, Stella and Carmen had already joined their daughter out in the yard. Scopra was standing in the foyer, her fingers pressed against the glass and a strange expression on her face.

"I don't understand why they still do it. I've told them once, I've told them a thousand times-- it won't work." She said moodily.

"What won't work?" Demyx asked.

"My parents hired these private investiators and kept them up for years. They're supposed to find my brother, but they won't ever find anything."

"Why not?"

"Because they're looking for the wrong guy. They're looking for my brother, and whatever Ienzo is now, it's not the same as he was before."

Zexion and Demyx froze and looked at Scopra.

"He's still out there, I know it." She said quietly. "And I think I know him better than most."

Zexion closed his eyes and pretended not to hear. It wasn't supposed to be this way. People weren't supposed to be looking for him. No one was supposed to even know about what had happened to him. His family was too close to this...it wasn't right...

He had to find a way to talk to Scopra, so this little visit didn't blow up in the Organization's face. And soon.

* * *

Your comments are greatly appreciated!


	5. My Fair Lady

Here's the newest chapter of Time to Reconnect! Thank you so much for those of you who are returning to read after such a long hiatus, and welcome to those of you who are new! Thank you all so much.

Disclaimer: Kindom Hearts = Not mine. Me = Sad.

* * *

"Alright, that's the last of it. I'm done."

Zexion looked up from the paperback he was reading and looked at the more cheerful of his younger sisters. She handed him a piece of loose leaf paper that was entirely covered with largely printed calculations. She seemed pleased with herself, but didn't say so.

The day had passed slowly thus far. Already the twins and their tutors had covered all of their daily lessons, gone out for a walk, and tended to some gardens. Since they had nothing better to do, Zexion had come up with some extra math assignments for them to complete...but he wasn't sure how much more time he could take up. It was hardly even noon.

He couldn't have asked for a better day, though. The sky was a clear and vibrant shade of blue, the sun was bright but not too warm, and a slight breeze rustled over the green grass of the front yard. The flowers looked as if they were on steroids. It was too perfect of a day to be spent inside, so the group had moved out under one of the large trees that shaded the yard.

He shook his head and handed the paper back to Celestina. "Twelve and sixteen are wrong. I don't even know what you did to seventeen, but I suggest you try it again."

Celestina sighed and went back to work, muttering something under her breath. Zexion only smiled and looked over at Demyx.

"You know, this is one of those Kingdom Hearts kind of days."

Scopra looked up from her paper. "Kingdom Hearts?"

"Yeah," Demyx said, drawing his legs up and resting his chin and arms on his knees. "Kingdom Hearts. You never heard the stories?"

"No, never." Celestina mumbled, not bothering to look up from her work.

Demyx grinned. "Ah. Well...great story. There's this...this...legend about a world greater than all the other worlds out there. The world is called Kingdom Hearts, and even though it's a physical realm, it's like a chunk of heaven. Anyone who goes there gets anything they want...everything that could bring them happiness and joy. Everyone is equal there, so there's no reason for anyone to fight, and everything is at peace..." He rambled off, still grinning widely.

Zexion took over for him. "Basically, it's your standard utopia story. Only this one is supposedly pretty reachable."

"Oh yeah? How?" Scopra sat up a little straighter.

"Well...uh...we're not entirely sure about that. Nobody is. Whatever the secret is, people have gone through a lot of trouble to keep it quiet. I don't think it's going to pop up soon. At least not easily."

She seemed disappointed. "Oh."

"Well, you never even know if these things are true. You hear about all sorts of stuff going on in other worlds...and a lot of the time it's either all lies or isn't all it's cracked out to be. Just...why are you so curious, anyway?"

"No reason." She stood up and dusted off the back of her skirt. "Whatever. It's not like anyone could actually get in there, anyway. And what could anyone possibly want that they don't have already? That's one lesson I learned from my brother-- don't ask for more than you've got. Sometimes just _being_ should be good enough."

Demyx eyed her warily. "You don't know what you're saying. Sometimes being yourself isn't natural. Sometimes it's a good thing to want to-"

"Good afternoon, girls!" Stella called across the lawn, waving a large-brimmed hat in the air. "And hello to you as well, boys. It's so good to see you all outside on such a nice day."

Demyx nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I don't think you could ask for better."

"Exactly. That's why I think it's wonderful that the fair has opened early this year. Your father and I were thinking about going up there tonight to see the fireworks. Would you all like to come along?"

Scopra looked uncertain. "The fair doesn't usually come for another month. They're never off schedule. Why did they-"

Stella sighed. Loudly. "Scopra, dear, I already told you. They're early. They must have just skipped one of the other worlds they usually stop at. I'm sure everything is fine. Now, if you want to come, you should all go and grab your things..."

Zexion watched Scopra's puzzled face as the others all headed inside to grab whatever they wanted to bring with them into town. She seemed stricken and worried, as if something was eating away at her.

He knew it was better not to ask, but he couldn't help himself. "What's wrong, Scopra?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong."

She turned and dashed inside, leaving Zexion all alone in the green emptiness of the yard.

----------------

Celestina stood in front of one of the many multicolored tents, looking up at the carved wooden sign that announced that the tent belong to Madame LeShea, Fortune Teller. It was far away from the bustle that surrounded some of the other districts of the fair, but the young girl didn't seem to notice. She was engrossed in reading the price list from a small, thin sheet of paper.

"It's a waste of money." Scopra announced from her position behind her twin's back. "That's way too much munny for a group reading. It should be _discounted_ if you have to go in with a group. Then everyone knows your secrets!"

Zexion nodded. "Seriously, Celeste. These things are hardly legit. It's a traveling fair. Don't you think you would have heard a lot of talk about someone who can actually see into your mind or predict the future?"

"No." She said. "I'm pretty sure than Madame LeShea travels with the fair because that's the best way to share her talents with the masses. I mean...if you had powers that could help someone, why would you use it for fame and fortune? It's about community service!"

"Then why does she charge?" Scopra asked, struggling to hide her laugh.

"Eh..."

The group chuckled.

"Look, I don't know. I remember stories about some of these people actually knowing things about you that even you didn't know. We should get that little group deal...it might be worth the munny."

Zexion rolled his eyes. "That's because they weren't true, Dem. Nobody can know if something's not true when they don't know the truth to begin with."

A pair of watery blue eyes stared back at him, pleading. It only a look at Demyx and Celestina before he shrugged and said, "Fine. Come on, let's go."

Celestina squealed and took off for the opening to the tent. The others followed more slowly, and stopped when Celeste emerged from the tent a couple seconds later, looking sheepish.

"What is it?" Demyx asked.

"She's asleep. Like, dead asleep. I couldn't even wake her."

Zexion held back his I-told-you-so. This was this twin's lesson to learn, not his...and he couldn't help but be strangely interested in how the whole thing unfolded.

They all entered the tent quietly to avoid waking Madame LeShea. The tent was small and uncomfortably warm, which was more than likely due to the heavy, dark fabrics Madame had draped from the ceiling. The floor was covered in worn Persian rugs that released a small cloud of dust with every step. There was no table for them to sit at, like Zexion had expected. Instead, large piles of old pillows had been placed along the walls of the tent to serve as chairs. And in one of these chairs something stirred-- Madame LeShea.

At first glance, Zexion thought she was as old and as ratty as the tent. It took him a moment to realize that the long, white hair belonged to someone not much older than himself. She was tall and gracefully built, with long, tanned limbs that peeked out from behind layers and layers of cloth and scarves that had been twisted together to create her skirts and a odd-looking piece that floated around her arms and shoulders.

When she saw them staring at her, she yawned, stretched, and pushed herself to her feet, causing unseen bells to jingle merrily. She swept a bracelet-laden hand through her white hair and looked at them.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah," Celestina said quietly. "Are you Madame LeShea?"

"No." The white-haired girl said, seemingly annoyed by the question. "I'm Aida. But if you're looking to have your fortune told, you've come to the right place."

Aida stepped around them and closed the door of the tent with an easy, fluid rustle. She turned to them again, her hands on her hips.

"Well? Are you going to sit, or are we going to dance while I talk to you?"

They all sat on the different stacks of pillows. Aida stretched out on one of the rugs, a wooden bowl of water in front of her.

"Zexion, Demyx, Celestina, Scopra. Welcome to our circle. I'm truly sorry for your loss." At their quizzical looks, she sighed. "You all have lost something, have you not? Scopra and Celestina, you have lost the presence of a fine and noble older brother. Zexion and Demyx...you have both lost something that some would be considered far more precious."

Demyx and Zexion exchanged a look. How much did this woman know? And would she talk about it in front of the girls?

"Liars, all three of you." She pointed first at Demyx, then Zexion, and finally, at Scopra. "You all are keeping secrets. You, little girl, know your family is running in circles, but you don't want to take away their hope. You boys both are here for more than one reason, and you know things that could certainly put a family's hearts at ease. Then again...maybe not. Maybe knowing would scare them. I cannot say."

She paused for a moment and looked at Celestina. The young girl stared back into Aida's green eyes, transfixed.

"I will tell you something, girl. The spirits here whisper of a tragedy from years ago. They say there is darkness in this world, and it has already taken one of those closest to you. But you know this. What you don't know is what they warn of...the darkness here is planning a repeat performance." She smiled darkly. " And one of your own has been chosen again. You must protect yourself and those around you, lest you lose them. You are all in great danger."

Zexion shifted uncomfortably, feeling suddenly chilled despite the overwhelming heat of the tent. Surely Aida could not be talking about _his_ accident. And the darkness...there weren't heartless here, were there? And if there were, where could they possibly be hiding without people having discovered them?

Aida swirled her finger in the bowl of water. "The spirits say the sadness this darkness brings would not end with your family. It would spread like a disease around this world, and then move on to others. Darkness will consume everything, as it so often does."

She sighed. "However, the spirits speak of warriors who will fight for the light. They are not named, but these warriors will combat the darkness and the nothingness that threaten to destroy the reign of the light. They say that this world will be visited and saved. But that is not for some time...and only if there are people to help the warriors. If this world is completely darkness, it will be passed by."

"You boys are not here to cause sadness, but your presence here was not predicted by the spirits. Your fate of those of your kind are always unpredictable. But I warn you...if you stay here much longer, this world may begin to change."

"Scopra, your fate is quite clear. You will discover something that will both thrill and terrify you. You must prepare yourself, and be ready to do what you must to help your friends and family."

Aida peered into the bowl. "I do believe that is all the spirits wish to share with us."

Celestina sighed and rose to her feet. "How much do we owe you?"

Aida shrugged. "Nothing. Yet. But if you don't get out of here soon, Madame might actually show up...and that wouldn't be good for any of us. Now, go!"

And with that, Aida dashed out of the tent and into the fair.

* * *

Thank you again to all of my readers and reviewers! I can't thank you enough!


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